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STOP PARROTING TAX COMPLAINTS
Saying things like, “Whether they realize it or not, this is the future many Portlanders voted for last fall’ is patronizing and deeply unserious [“Better Off Red?” WW, July 16]. Portland voters were not tricked by socialists into some power grab, they freely voted for councilors who reflected their values. And can you please stop blithely writing about “second-highest marginal tax rate in the country”? Portland has low to medium property taxes relative to property values in the national context (thanks to Measures 5 and 50 in the 1990s) and no broad-based sales tax. A full picture of tax burden, rather than insisting that “the conventional wisdom in Portland…is that taxes are too high,” Willamette Week could take a broader look at the interaction of different facets of tax policy and how that affects local governments. Choosing to endlessly parrot a generally incomplete and patently false picture of our local taxation picture with no reference to the actual context of any other place in the country serves only to embolden the reactionary stool pigeons making up the ranks of the commenters on your website, and does a deep disservice to the news-reading public.
Andrew Lindstrom
Southeast Portland
PORTLAND IS NO EDEN
Writing to you from Eden, Utah, where I moved in 2020, during the riots and start of the Beaver State’s downfall. Just thought you could convey to Mitch Green a message that rich people and even moderately wealthy people like myself do and will increasingly leave Portland and Oregon.
I have happily shared my capital gain income with Utah at 4.85%, saving two thirds in the process. Utah is growing in part because of how it is managed. The Beehive State has a “rich” tradition of one-for-all-and-all-for-one thinking. Remind the Democratic Socialists of America acolytes of Margaret Thatcher’s famous statement, “The problem with socialism is sooner or later you run out of other people’s money.” The DSA’s attitude and thinking will surely accelerate Portland’s self-inflicted decline.
Phil Forker
Eden, Utah
ISSUING A RED CARD
Democratic socialists cannot be reduced to being called socialists, as you did throughout the story. (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a democratic socialist but is also a Democrat.) I think your story, although in many ways accurate and thorough, from my [view] was ruined by that language.
The last thing we need to do in this crazy culture is revive the red flag language of anti-communists.
Jill Riebesehl
Southeast Portland
NOT EVERYONE LIKES TO PARTY
Sophie Peel’s article was well researched and nicely detailed with balancing viewpoints.
I’d like to point out one bit to consider, though, regarding: “To put the DSA’s clout into perspective, there are more than 56,000 registered Republicans in Multnomah County, yet it’s fair to say those Republicans have a tiny fraction of the influence on City Hall compared to what the DSA’s 2,000 members wield.”
What about the large number of nonaffiliated voters? Perhaps they also voted for those who best represent them, and in that case, it could well be Democratic Socialists. Just sayin’...
Fran Bozarth
Gresham
CHOOSE OUTCOMES OVER BRANDING
The Trump administration is applying abhorrent conditions on cities to keep their federal funding [“City Could Risk Losing $387 Million in Federal Grants Due to Trump DEI Order,” wweek.com, July 14]. Yet these are not the first nor the last set of strings attached to money that the city disagrees with. We know how to handle this. First, you fight it in court until you have exhausted all legal avenues. If that fails, you need to decide what is the least bad option. Public policy is very often about choosing among bad options.
In this case, the least bad option is clear. For many people, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion amounts to a broad set of goals and ideals about caring for everyone in the community. However, it’s also shorthand for a specific set of job positions and grants—in other words, it’s branding.
If we actually care about helping everyone in the community, particularly the most vulnerable, we can’t afford to cut hundreds of millions of dollars for affordable housing simply for the sake of branding.
Promoting equity and inclusion is something that should be at the heart of all government work. It is very possible to target underserved communities without explicitly tailoring programs to named groups. The biggest things Portland does to help with equity in the city are completely outside the work of anyone with “DEI” in their job description. Causing thousands to go homeless so we don’t have to change a handful of city jobs and grants would be a bad mistake. The question is, do we care more about outcomes or branding?
Jon Walker
Southeast Portland
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Email: amesh@wweek.com
